Will Edwards find his groove in Game 2?
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The Timberwolves' overreliance on threes and rebounding woes, along with Anthony Edwards' struggles, led to their Game 1 loss to the Mavs in Minnesota. With their star reeling, the Wolves' offense sunk in the second half.
Game 2 tips off Friday as Minnesota looks to avoid a 2-0 deficit. Let's get to our bets.
Parlay: Timberwolves moneyline and Anthony Edwards 25-plus points
This is a unique bet for this forum. We're targeting the Wolves to win straight up and Edwards to have a bounce-back game.
Edwards is in a mini-slump. After a rough offensive showing in a Game 7 win over the Nuggets, the All-NBA guard faltered again in Game 1. He looked exhausted in the fourth quarter after one day of rest between the two series.
Edwards' killer instinct has led the Wolves this far, but he has to play like a superstar in the conference finals. The stars will determine the outcome of this series, and the edge went to Dallas in Game 1. It's now up to Edwards to even the series at home.
Part of the All-Star's struggles can be attributed to the Mavs' defense, which brilliantly closes gaps and protects the rim. Dallas loaded up to help on Edwards' drives.
Twelve of Edwards' 16 shots were threes, while the Wolves as a team shot 49 threes. Minnesota is averaging 33 3-point attempts per game this postseason. Instead of finding ways to get downhill, the Mavs' defense prevented drives, forcing the Wolves to settle from long range.
Chris Finch and Minnesota's staff will adjust to create driving lanes and find Edwards easier looks.
The Mavs also outrebounded the Wolves by eight. That's not a significant margin, but one of Minny's strengths is its rebounding. Dallas became a formidable rebounding group in the season's final months, but the Wolves must collect boards at a higher rate.
The Wolves won't lose back-to-back home contests, and Edwards will avoid another disappointing outing.
Odds: -120
P.J. Washington: Over 11.5 points
Washington is averaging 14.2 points in 13 postseason games. He scored 13 points in Game 1 against the Wolves while shooting 25% from three.
A midseason trade acquisition, Washington has value in this series because of Minnesota's defensive coverage. The Wolves load up on Doncic and Kyrie Irving, while Rudy Gobert sits in drop coverage and doesn't stray too far from the paint on ball screens. The Wolves' defenders load up in help, creating open shots for Washington on the wing and corner. He's attempting more corner threes than anyone this postseason.
The Mavs' supporting cast is a big reason they've advanced this far. Washington is thriving with so much defensive attention on Doncic and Irving. Game 1 was Washington's second-worst 3-point shooting night of the postseason, and he still eclipsed 12 points. Washington should soar past this total if he can knock down the shots Minnesota's defense allows him.
Odds: -125
Sam Oshtry is a sports betting writer at theScore. You can follow him on X @soshtry for more betting coverage.